compatibility

[J-Rod]

i just got an oscar and 3 black convicts, do you think i could put some rams in with them soon

[CassieLEO]

Hold your horses...
What size tank??? How olds your tank, whats your filter system like? You have nothing listed in your profile... The convicts will be a issue when they start breeding. And they will take over your tank...

[Lab_Rat]

Is this in the 55g you were asking for advice on mbuna stocking for? And are you intending to use the rams as feeders?

[Strider199]

Rams are way too peacefull for that kind of company.

[toddnbecka]

If a couple of the convicts pair off the tank will soon be too small for all 3 of them and the Oscar, much less anything else. In any case Ram's are totally unsuitable to mix with the others.

[J-Rod]

its a 55 gallon, i got a hang on back filter. yes this is the 55 i was talkin about mbuna, mbunas are more expensive then i would like, so i stuck with south americans.

[sheamurai]

yeah, a 55's too small for all those fish long term. You'll likely have problems down the road if you choose to keep them all, and adding anything else I'm afraid is a Bad Idea too.

[J-Rod]

once the oscar gets larger i plan on getting rid of him to a different home. and no rams. but as of now there all only an inch long so they should be fun for quite awhile.

[Lady Hobbs]

J......I think we should have lots more info before you can get any advice. The tank size we have but nothing more like the filtration, was the tank cycled or not, have your purchased a test kit and dechlorinator for the tank, etc.

Can you perhaps start over and give us the full explanation of what you have going on so we can better help you? It's my feeling you should return all your fish, cycle your tank and while you are cycling to do a bit more research and talk to more people about better stocking idea's.

There are cycling links in my signature if you have not yet cycled. But trying to get rid of a full grown Oscar is not easily done either. Many people simply don't have the tank sizes to accomodate them and once they are grown up, they're too large to try to ship to a buyer.

[J-Rod]

i have already found a home for the oscar. the tanks 55. i have a whisper power filter , the tank was up and going for 2 weeks before i had anything put in it. i have test kits, my waters fine. i dont need a dechlorinator because my water comes from a well so there is nothing in it. i have checked all this stuff. i just need to know good tank mates. my convicts are all girls. no babies. my oscar will hav e a home so i wont have him as a giant. my filtration isnt the greatest. but iit works, and with waater changes it should be good. the filters for a 75 gallon, i used gravel from an established aquarium.

[850R]

Can you perhaps start over and give us the full explanation of what you have going on so we can better help you? It's my feeling you should return all your fish, cycle your tank and while you are cycling to do a bit more research and talk to more people about better stocking idea's.Worth repeating.

i have already found a home for the oscar. the tanks 55. i have a whisper power filter , the tank was up and going for 2 weeks before i had anything put in it. i have test kits,
What size/capacity filter?

What did you cycle your tank with?

What are the actual numbers from your tests? [IE: Ammonia, NitrItes, NitrAtes, ph, tds]

[J-Rod]

ill try to post a video or pictures sometime. my tank is working fine now, i have plans for all the fish. i just added two more one is a tiny jack dempsey. and the other was listed as a green terror , but it doesnt look anything like them.

[CassieLEO]

You only have enough filtration going to about 30 gallons. (for filters like that, you cut the amount filtered in half as they overstate how efficient they are) Nevermind the Oscars poop A TON... Seriously, you need to up this filtration system. The water changes are good, but you need excellent filtration on a tank that big and with the oscar in there. Sweetpea is about your oscars size and I have a Filter rated for 125 gallons, and even that, im still skeptical about and will probably be upping my amount of filtration.... Im not busting your chops or anything like that, its just important to have excellent filtration with such a messy fish. Couldnt whoever is taking the Oscar take it now?

[KatzeSlaugen]

if the tank is up for only two weeks i cant possibly believe that its cycled, unless you used seeded media from another thank.
i understand you think your tank water is fine but to reitterate: what are the actual test results for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

also ide reccomend to research before buying fish. having an oscar, JD, 3 convicts and a green terror in a 55gal with 30gal worth of filtration doesnt seem like too great of an idea. ( ive never had green terrors, but from what ive read it seems they can be quite aggressive)

[eroc1085]

Everyone wants to help bud... We know its exciting. But seriously take the advice given. Just because you have well water doesn't mean you don't have to cycle. And when asked for parameters give them... not "MY WATERS IS FINE" ...just let the experienced help. Do yourself a favor and the fish a favor. Return them, properly cycle your tank and search an appropriate community of fish. You can get aggressive cichlids for that 55 no prob.. just not the ones you've chosen.

I'm just saying... i've learned a TON from this forum and you can do the same.

[Fisharefriends27]

Cycle. Stock alot better.
The tank I think is too small for an oscar even though people said they are good. 12" tank is not good for a 12-14" fish to turn.
This sounds harsh but don't put the fish in the tank you plan to have, Even if you have plans, it will end up in a bad fish death. Please take our advise. Mine is stock the tank you have, research, even if you have plans stock the tank you have, and completely redecide stocking.

[Sandz]

J-Rod, using gravel from an established tank will not seed the media needed for your bioload. A 55gal tank has its limits. It is a great starter tank for most first timers but its not good for a large number of fish we talk about here on this site. Having a whisper power filter on the tank rated to 75 gal wont help. My advice would be to keep up a fishless cycle until you have planned out what you are going to do with these 55 gallons of water you have. Clear it with aqua advisor or the site or something.

Remember that we are not the be all end all, but if you want advice from 100's of combined years tank experience, we need all the info. Why would we ask otherwise?

[burzumaske20]

If you plan on putting the Oscar with those other fishes in a 55 gallon,as a temporary set up,with better filtration,then go for it.I did that as my first set up was a Oscar,JD,GT,Severum,and Jaguar.I had a penguin 350 and a magnum 250 from marineland running.then of course I upgraded my tank to a 125 gallon,which is plenty of room for more fishes to add(depending what you go with) and I took my penguin 350 from the 55 gallon to use for cycling the 125 gallon,bought a marineland magnum 350 canister,and bought an extra penguin 350 to run on the new set up.Oscars do produce alot of waste,its even worse when you have a pleco in the set up too,since they produce way more waste then a Oscar.Its easier when you have female cichlids,because most of the time they don't grow as large as males from what I have seen so far.The only thing I would worry about is,the Oscar outgrowing that 55 gallon in a year or less.I haven't had my Oscar for not even a year yet and hes already 10 inches.So I provided him and the rest of my current fishes that have a slow growing rate a much bigger tank.Instead of just buying the same cichlids,mix it up a little bit.No matter what fish you put into a tank,it will always be 50 50 regardless.Majority of the people I talk to,jump the gun and buy 5+ inch midas's,flowerhorns,texas,ect then say right away they are super aggressive,blah blah blah.Either way,it is important to cycle the tank. I also notice people fallow a fish bible and to let you know,you can have a oscar in a 55 gallon tank as a temporary set up only,long term obviously no.

[Fisharefriends27]

I completely disagree. Even if you have plans stock the tank you have not the tank you want to have.

[burzumaske20]

As long as the guy upgrades his tank in a year or less,then he is fine with putting at least 4 fishes into the tank.IF he decided to do the whole Oscar,Jack Dempsey,green terror route,ect.It will take the other ones much longer to grow compared to the Oscar.Either way,when that Oscar hits the 9 inch mark,it will be wise to upgrade to a much bigger tank and please don't go with a 75 gallon,that isn't a big jump from a 55 at all.Go with at least 100 gallons or above.Also there are so many dimensions of tanks,its always good to research that of what tank you are able to have in the near future if you have the space for it.From what I realize is Oscars prefer longer tanks,so going with something that is 6ft to 8ft in length is PLENTY of room for the Oscar to swim,also the width should be 18 inches or more.Don't let anyone discourage you of getting at least a Oscar and Jack Dempsey in a 55 gallon as a grow out tank.Like I said,I had 5 south american cichlids in my tank and I didn't run into major issues with death at all in a 55 gallon.

[Lab_Rat]

The problem is many people say they will upgrade but never do. Then they hit many problems, fish get sick, fish die, etc. It's best to recommend proper stocking from the start. If someone is experienced enough to be able to handle growing out large, aggressive cichlids, they're probably not going to be asking for stocking advice.

[burzumaske20]

The only reason why,I went for the 55 gallon as a start up tank,is because walmart messed up on a full kit,for 68 dollars.Other then that,I wouldn't of bought it then.I still upgraded regardless to a much bigger tank either way.So,I think maybe if he is really into his cichlids,he may end up upgrading his tank either way,if not.Then he should just go for smaller cichlids then instead of Oscars.